Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

Chapter 113 The Battle of Cooks 20

July 13, 1804, noon.

As the vanguard of the entire army, the French 1st Infantry Brigade was tasked with forward reconnaissance and key assaults, and was the first to arrive at the first line of defense outside Cuxhaven, namely the town of Noinquich.

The commander of the first infantry brigade leading the army was Brigadier General Gabriel Dubois, who was thirty-four years old at the time.

Dubois's background was quite different from that of the vast majority of hereditary noble officers in France.

He was born in Bordeaux, where his ancestors had been working in vineyards for generations. His father was a well-known wine merchant in the area. He spent his life with vines, pressing juice, and oak barrels. Although he came from a wealthy family, he was still a typical commoner.

The French Revolution broke out in 1789, the old order collapsed, and countless commoners had a chance to turn their lives around.

At the young age of nineteen, Dubois resolutely abandoned his family's winery business and devoted himself to the revolutionary army, enlisting as a private and beginning his military career.

Dubois was born brave and daring, and grew rapidly amidst the flames of war.

During the French Revolutionary War, he accompanied the army on an expedition to Italy, personally experiencing many classic battles, including the Battle of Roveredo in 1796. He charged into battle several times amidst artillery fire, and even after being hit by three bullets, he fought to the death without retreating.

Dubois won the favor of his superiors in the Italian Legion with his fearless style and excellent battlefield judgment.

The turning point that truly propelled him to the ranks of high-ranking military officers was Napoleon's Coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799.

After the coup, Napoleon reshaped the French military system, promoting a large number of civilian officers who were loyal to him, had solid military achievements, and came from clean backgrounds, while discarding the old, redundant aristocratic officials.

Dubois, with his outstanding record on the Italian battlefield, absolute loyalty and excellent leadership skills, was promoted by Napoleon and rose through the ranks, from junior officer to brigadier general, becoming a backbone of the new generation of generals in the French Empire.

Born into a commoner family, Dubois lacked the arrogance and pride of aristocratic children. He was pragmatic and strict in his military discipline, making him a main force capable of fighting tough battles.

At this moment, Duboiswalema stood on a high hill on the east side of the town, gazing at Neukölln in the distance through his binoculars.

This place was originally an ordinary rural town in northern Germany, but at this moment it has been transformed by the British army into a heavily fortified and well-defended field earthen bunker.

As far as the eye could see, the open areas surrounding the town had been completely cleared and transformed by the British army, with layers of defensive fortifications laid out in a staggered pattern.

The outermost edge was a wide, man-made trench with steep walls and sharpened logs hidden at the bottom, designed to block the infantry's charge and the cavalry's advance.

Outside the trench, a dense array of solid wooden barricades were set up, with thick logs interlocked and stacked layer upon layer, effectively blocking the passage on the plain and slowing down the pace of large-scale infantry charges.

In addition, the British army also built gentle reverse slopes on the perimeter.

This seemingly flat terrain was a type of civil engineering project that Dubois had never seen before, and he couldn't fathom what the British's purpose was in building it.

However, Dubois could see that the British infantry were hidden behind these reverse slopes, so Dubois believed that it was just a new type of breastwork.

Finally, Dubois saw the thing that had appeared repeatedly in the reports of the captured Lacourt—barbed wire.

The trenches and barricades, the dead ends of the slopes, the gaps in the passageways, and the blank areas where the fortifications connected were all sealed off by a dense layer of barbed wire.

"————" Dubois hesitated.

In 1804, France implemented a new eleven-year military system, and ordinary infantry brigades did not have permanently dedicated, fixed artillery units.

All artillery pieces and gunners are under the unified command of the infantry division's artillery reserve. They are only temporarily separated and assigned to infantry brigades by the division commander during combat, and are immediately recalled after the battle ends.

This is the same as the British.

Therefore, Dubois's troops were all infantry, and there was no field artillery to provide fire support.

This means that Dubois can only be compensated with human lives.

The column tactic was the most classic combat method of the French army during the Napoleonic era. It was honed through countless trials during the French Revolution and the Italian battlefields and was the optimal solution for infantry mass charges without artillery support.

"Order the entire army to form ranks! First Battalion, attack!"

Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom. The French military musicians began to beat the drums.

According to the current French military tactical system, the French army will not use a single column or line formation, but will switch formations in three stages. For brick and stone bunkers and earthen high ground fortifications, they will adopt a progressive three-stage tactic.

When approaching the fortifications at a distance of more than 150 paces, the French troops would advance rapidly in columns at the battalion level.

This type of battalion-level dense column has a depth of 6-8 rows and a narrow front.

The logic behind using this tactic is simple: because the firing ports of bunkers have limited coverage, the line of fire is extremely small.

They march quickly, enabling them to traverse unprotected open areas rapidly, reducing casualties from prolonged exposure to enemy fire and artillery fire.

Once the French troops reached the effective killing range of the bunker (50-150 paces), the column immediately spread out to the left and right into a double-line horizontal formation.

Because the bunker's firing ports are scattered throughout the walls, and the soldiers are spread out horizontally, they can take turns firing from the left and right, continuously suppressing each window and blocking the defenders' opportunities to reload or peek out to fire.

After the artillery fire blasted open a breach in the wall and destroyed the fence, the line of soldiers regrouped and formed small assault columns of 2-3 columns deep to launch a bayonet charge.

The reason is simple: because the bunker's gate and the gaps are narrow, a wide line cannot rush in at the same time; a narrow column has a concentrated impact, and the soldiers rely on each other to quickly rush in and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

The 2nd Infantry Brigade of the King's German Army, commanded by Baron Ernest Longwater, was responsible for guarding Neukölln.

According to the standard British Army organization, infantry brigades should not be equipped with artillery.

But Dugan didn't care about any of that. He only believed in "the needs of the battlefield are the highest principle" and insisted on allocating four standard British 6-pound field guns to Longwater.

These four 6-pound cannons, each with a barrel length of about 6 feet and a caliber of 4.6 inches, are operated by eight skilled gunners. They fire 6-pound solid cast iron bullets and have an effective range of up to 800 meters, with extremely high accuracy within 500 meters.

At this moment, they were cleverly positioned in the four corner towers of the bunker, with the cannons concealed behind firing ports, and were only opened fire when the French troops were within optimal firing range.

"The French are attacking! Fire!"

Baron Longwater stood atop the bunker, coldly observing the French troops in formation through his binoculars, his tone as calm as if he were watching a hunt.

The artillery commander beside him had already calculated the parameters and was just waiting for the order.

Solid shot whistled across the open field, piercing the air with a sharp whooshing sound, and slammed into the French column.

The first shell knocked down an entire rank of French soldiers, blood and flesh flying everywhere, instantly creating a huge gap in the formation.

The second shell hit the ground, bounced, and continued forward, crushing several French soldiers who couldn't dodge in time.

The third shell grazed the edge of the line, and although it did not hit directly, it stirred up a cloud of dust and scattered gravel, making it impossible for the French soldiers to open their eyes.

The fourth shell landed between the two rows of soldiers, and the blast wave knocked more than a dozen soldiers to the ground.

"Damn it, it's artillery!" Dubois's heart skipped a beat.

"Scatter! Scatter now!"

The French soldiers screamed in terror, and their orderly ranks instantly fell into chaos.

Despite his frustration, Dubois had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the attack.

"Rapid assault!"

"Le Pas Accéléré!"

As Dubois's order was relayed, the drumbeats of the French military musicians changed from a cohesive beat to an accelerated beat.

The French army's advance speed increased from 60 paces per minute to 100 paces per minute.

"Raise your gun!"

The French army advanced rapidly, and after withstanding several rounds of artillery fire, they soon came within range of British infantry rifles.

Behind the reverse slope was Lieutenant Colonel von Hüneub, who immediately ordered the British soldiers behind the slope to raise their guns.

British soldiers set up their rifles on the slope, all pointing them at the French troops.

"Fire!" von Hüneuber gave the order.

A dense barrage of gunfire rang out, accompanied by billowing smoke.

The lead bullets thudded into the bodies of the French soldiers, exploding into countless sprays of blood.

When the French soldiers in the front rank fell, the soldiers in the back rank immediately took their place and continued to advance.

Finally, after enduring several volleys of fire, the French troops reached a position about 50 paces from the British.

The French infantry battalion commander immediately drew his pistol and delegated operational command: "All men, listen to the sergeant's orders and prepare to engage the enemy."

The sergeants, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately jumped out and ordered the soldiers: "First platoon, raise your guns, aim, fire, turn around, and return to the rear of the column to reload."

"Second platoon, step forward, raise your gun, aim, fire, turn around, and return to the rear of the column to reload."

"Three platoons step forward, raise their guns, aim, fire, turn around, and return to the rear of the column to reload."

British and French troops began exchanging fire at close range.

However, the French army was clearly at a disadvantage in this exchange of fire.

The British troops hid behind the slope, with only their heads showing, making it very difficult for the French to hit such small targets from 50 paces away.

However, the French army was in the open field, making them a large target, so the British army didn't need to aim much.

With a whoosh, the British soldiers pulled the trigger, white smoke billowed, and bullets flew. Facing the dense crowd, they didn't need to aim at all. The soldiers performed the live-fire drills as mechanically as if they were doing it themselves.

A volley of gunfire erupted, and the Frenchmen at the front of the column seemed to have been struck by a high-voltage electric fence; their bodies jerked violently, blood spurting from their chests as they convulsed and collapsed to the ground. Then came the second row, the third row—